Derek's Blog

 My notes from this solid book on communication and networking.  Don't Keep Score     Generosity, not greed.  What's Your Mission?     A goal is a dream with a deadline.     1. Goals that will help you fulfill your mission (3 years from now)     2. Connecting those goals to the people, places, and things that will help you get the job done     3. Best way to reach out to the people who will help you accomplish your goals Dinner Parties     1. Create a Theme     2. Use Invitations     3. Don't Be a Kitchen Servant     4. Create Atmosphere      5. Forget Being Formal      6. Don't Seat Couples Together     7. Relax Tips on Becoming an Expert       1. Get out in front and analyze the trends and opportunities on the cutting edge.     2. Ask seemingly stupid questions.     3. Know yourself and your talents. 8...

Here is Tony Fadell 's description of a product manager in Build: An Unorthodox Guide to Making Things Worth Making :  Product Manager or Product Marketing Manager Product marketing and product management are essentially the same thing--or at least they should be. A product manager's responsibility is to figure out what the product should do and then create the spec (the description of how it will work) as well as the messaging (the facts you want customers to understand). Then they work with almost every part of the business (engineering, design, customer support, finance, sales, marketing, etc.) to get the product spec'd, built, and brought to market. They ensure that it stays true to its original intent and doesn't get watered down along the way. But, most importantly, product managers are the voice of the customer. They keep every team in check to make sure they don't lose sight of the ultimate goal—happy, satisfied customers.  The customer needs a voice on the ...

  This is the third time this concept has popped up in my life in the last couple weeks. Dr. Nicole LePera, in her great book How to Do the Work , says we are not our thoughts, we are the thinker of our thoughts.  David Goggins talks about creating Goggins , his alter ego that pushes him to accomplish incredible feats, in the inspiring Never Finished .  A couple more related sentiments: Meditation philosophies often tell us that we are not our thoughts, we are the observer of our thoughts.  Creating a fictional board of directors for You Inc. has been recommended by [I'm blanking on which famous business guru said it]. I've made it a point to focus on remembering lessons that show up in multiple places--especially ones spanning diverse cultures. This one certainly fits the bill.  In order to reach our full potential, we should cultivate an inner witness. One that pushes us to act (with responsible detachment) according to our virtuous goals.